Welcome to Melbourne Foodie. The blogspace of a young foodie with a passion for cooking, fine dining and quality food and produce.
Melbourne Foodie, along with the other sources I write for is my way of casually expressing and recording some of the experiences I have had for others to enjoy. I always welcome any feedback,
comments or restaurant suggestions you may have and would love to hear from you soon.

This is just a quick posting on one of my favourite restaurants, Number 8. The restaurant is located along the river at Crown and serves contemporary food of a high quality that is not overly messed about with.

One of the reasons I like the restaurant so much is because of its excellent value lunches. At lunch time you can choose any two courses and a side dish for only $37.90 or three courses for $43.90. This entitles you to choose any courses from their full a la carte menu, with the exception of a few premium items such as Wagyu and lobster. To top things off service is of a high standard and the restaurant is stylish and comfortable with quality tableware and linen. There is also an outdoor terrace area, which overlooks the river and is a wonderful place to eat during the warmer months.

A meal at Number 8 always begins with an offering of fresh house-baked bread and a complimentary offering of dips which may include such selections as: beetroot, pumpkin, white-bean, chunky eggplant, olive tapenade, hummus or tzatziki. Always a good way to start a meal in my view.

Entrees and mains offer a great variety of seafood, meat and vegetarian offerings so there is always something to suit most people's tastes, and their range of side dishes is one of the biggest in town with everything from salads and fries to porcini risotto.

On my last visit my dining companion and I sampled a number of dishes which I will only speak briefly on.

Salt and pepper calamari - My favourite calamari anywhere. It is amazingly tender and served atop a tomato and lime compote, sided by an excellent herbed aioli.

Zucchini Flowers - Stuffed with ricotta and served with wild rocket, red peppers and a balsamic dressing. Unlike most zucchini flowers, these are lightly steamed rather than fried and you can taste the true freshness of the baby zucchini.

Chicken - Free range chicken breast served with asparagus and a puff pastry filled with king brown mushrooms and parmesan. A good dish.

We also sample a couple of desserts:

Vanilla pana cotta: Served with blackberries, baked peach and toffee crunch. Pana cotta is a dessert which has become unfashionable in recent times, but nevertheless it is still a favourite of mine. This one is a very good example.

Chocolate and Coffee Ganache: An intensely rich offering served with some fresh berries and sided with an excellent mascarpone ice cream. One of my favourites.

Number 8 is an excellent restaurant for all occasions and their lunch special makes a visit all the more worthwhile. Highly Recommended.